Ambassador Pearson's remarks at the AFOT's Annual in Washington D.C on January 23, 2008.
TURKEY: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR AMERICAN FRIENDS OF TURKEY IN 2008
AFOT ANNUAL DINNER
TURKISH EMBASSY RESIDENCE
JANUARY 23, 2008
I want to thank Ambassador Alan Lukens for that introduction. Ambassador Sensoy, Congresswoman Foxx, distinguished guests and friends, it is a great pleasure for me and for Maggie to be here tonight with all of you. We are here to celebrate in the wonderful newly renovated Turkish Residence, together with Ambassador Nabi Sensoy and his wonderful wife, Gulgun Sensoy, both dear friends and colleagues, who have brought so much energy and enthusiasm to the work of reaching out to the American and American-Turkish community here in Washington and elsewhere. It is through their generous hospitality that AFOT is able to hold this wonderful dinner tonight in this unequalled setting. I want to ask you to join with me in thanking them for their support and efforts.
Speaking here tonight after this wonderful meal reminds me of a story often told at NATO. One day at the Roman Coliseum, the Christians were led into the arena and the gates opened and the lions came in. But the lions immediately lay down and refused to budge no matter what. Finally, completely exasperated, the Roman centurion walked over to the head lion and said, “What is the problem?” “Well,” the lion replied, “we heard there would be speeches after the meal.”
Even in Washington, you can have some challenges. I heard this one from Secretary Gates last year. One night there’d been a long reception and lots of cocktails and then lots of wine with dinner. The speaker was at one of those table-set podiums, so there were people seated on both sides. And the speaker got up and droned on and on. And finally a drunken guest seated to the right of the speaker got fed up, picked up an empty wine bottle and swung it at the speaker and missed, and hit the MC of the event who was seated on the left side of the speaker and who fell to the ground bleeding profusely. The drunk got down on his hands and knees and crawled over to the poor MC to apologize. The MC opened one eye and said, “Hit me again, I can still hear him.”
So I better promise not to be too long. And I will hope that I am out of range. I want to personally thank each of you for being with us this evening. We are indeed celebrating tonight – and properly so – a number of things: first, the beginning of the next 25 years for the American Friends of Turkey, second, the successful transition through some difficult moments in 2007, and third the brighter prospects for U.S. Turkish relations now and new opportunities to improve American understanding of Turkey and Turkey’s place in the world today and tomorrow. This is a worthy task for the American friends of Turkey. I say “friends” in the broadest sense to include all those here and throughout the United States who care about the health of the Turkish American relationship and who have an abiding affection for Turkey and the Turkish people.
The Danish philosopher, Kierkegaard, reminded us that while “life must be understood backward, it has to be lived forward.” So in reflecting on the way ahead, let us first recall the perspective of the past.
One of the most important features of the landscape we are looking at is the distinguished place of Turkey in world history. The Turks came into written history located in central Asia, selling horses to the Chinese and marrying the Chinese princesses to keep peace on China’s border. Turkish speaking people brought all the riches of Asia to Europe in the centuries before the European age of discovery. The Turkish language group, depending on who you talk to, not only covers the geography between central Asia and the Mediterranean, but has ties to Finnish, Hungarian, Korean and even Japanese. It is a language fit for a rich and diverse culture: one old proverb puts it this way:
Arapça bir dil, Farsça bir şekerleme, Türkçe ise bir sanattır.
Arabic is a language, Persian is a candied fruit, and Turkish is a work of art.
From the very beginning, the Turkish people exerted enormous influence on the development of first the Arab world and then the European world. In the Empire, there was an enviable and widespread spirit and code of tolerance. In his new book, Peace Be Upon You: The Story of Muslim, Christian and Jewish Coexistence, Dr. Zachary Karabell reviews once again the remarkable legacy of peace between the three of the world’s great faiths in the Ottoman Empire. No one forgets the welcome Selim Sultan Bâyezîd II provided to the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492. This spirit remains a cornerstone of what Turkey could again represent to the world.
Turkish and American histories began to intertwine early in the history of the American republic. Except for World War II, the collapse of the European world order, and the Cold War, it is unlikely that Turkey and the United States would ever have been close. Distance between the countries was just too great. The defeat of Germany and the rise of the USSR to world power status inevitably put the U.S. into the chair previously occupied by Europe. The two countries began their work of decades to steadily strengthen their links.
The most intriguing aspect of this history is to think of the two countries’ histories as narratives, stories of development, hope and aspirations that recount each country’s self-image. A friend, Altay Cengizer, a Turkish diplomat now at Harvard says that while the narrative for the U.S. is complete, the narrative for Turkey is not final. For him, the beginning of the narrative is hidden behind the fog of late Ottoman collapse and the end is not yet in sight. If we imagine too that Turkey’s story is yet to be fully told, what are the risks and opportunities ahead?
Let me begin by saying that perhaps we should all relax just a little and accept that Turkey and the U.S. are not going to go back to the closeness that characterized the relations in the immediate post Cold War period, or that was reached in the late 1990’s. Now it is time to be prepared to recognize differences and to rely on enriched dialogue to understand what is happening.
Turkey is firmly on the side of stability in its region and on the side of modernity in the contemporary world. Turkey is also the most important country in its region. It used to be that people, (mainly Americans but Turks picked this up and pitched it back to us) talked about Turkey’s strategic importance. I never thought this kind of language was good; where Turkey is located is important, of course, but more important today is what Turkey does and what kind of democratic society Turkey builds. So while we recognize the differences and use them to broaden understanding, let us also emphasize the positive results we want to achieve.
Turkey is about to enter upon possibly the most dynamic period of domestic debate since the early republic. I’m referring to the new draft constitution. One government spokesman said it would be modeled on the constitution of Spain drafted after the Franco regime. The fight will be between those who believe the constitution is the fulfillment of Turkey’s democratic dream as created by Kemal Ataturk and those who claim it would destroy Ataturk’s legacy to Turkey. These are issues solely for Turks themselves to resolve, but friends can help explain what is going on and can remind observers and participants alike that a democracy as strong as Turkey’s can withstand a strong debate.
Turkey’s economy is still growing, but faces risks as well. Foreign direct investment is pouring in; $22 billion last year. There are issues, however. Turkey has a growing current account deficit as energy costs rise and FDI currently covers about two-thirds of that deficit. The credit crunch in the U.S. is only now beginning to impact Turkey. For Americans there is a continuing need and opportunity for greater U.S. investment in Turkey. The American Turkish Council, under the strong leadership of Ambassador Jim Holmes, is doing wonderful work in this dimension. The rest of us can do our part by constantly looking for opportunities to improve business links between Turkey and the United States.
AFOT and all those who are friends of Turkey have a responsibility to identify affirmatively with the positives in the relationship. While we all work hard to mobilize people when there is trouble, we need also to create a structure that year-round will stand for positive identification and engagement to appreciate Turkey’s place in today’s world and to strengthen U.S. Turkish ties. We are thinking of more formal ways to accomplish these objectives, to broaden our base and reach out to more supporters, and I will be asking our Board to give our options great consideration.
We ought to be thinking about how to focus objectively on more contemporary issues. What happens in Turkey will affect profoundly its neighboring countries and regions and American friends of Turkey have a deep interest in understanding the issues in play. One of the original purposes of AFOT was to expose current and future American leaders to Turkey’s culture and society. One of the stated goals on our website is to bring together selected Turks and Americans for informal exchanges. While other groups also carry out this mission with skill, those who are friends of this vital relationship will have to examine how we too might contribute our own part.
There are scholars and students in the U.S. who are today studying and writing about the issues of importance to Turkey and the United States. It would be very good to find more visible ways to support – and to recognize – those who make such important and visible contributions to better understanding. Without firm support for the scholars who expand our base of knowledge, we cannot build the objective framework so necessary to enlightened conversation.
Our outreach programs over the years, including the Embassy Series, the series of lectures at the Smithsonian, and the radio programs featuring Turkish classical music beamed to American audiences, have done a splendid job of showcasing the best of Turkish culture. We will look for ways to strengthen and refine this valuable work. Younger and broader U.S. audiences who have not heard the splendid jazz musicians of Turkey such as Kemal Görsev or who are not familiar with the work of distinguished Turkish movie directors, such as Yüksel Aksu or Özer Kiziltan, would have an opportunity to see a Turkey fully involved in today’s life and culture.
In all our work, past, present and future, AFOT has been especially grateful to our wonderful and long term supporters. I would like to particularly mention the support of the Embassy in this annual fund raising dinner possible, to Terry Bedford of Raymond James for his support to our classical music presentations, and to Rick Johnston of Baker Donaldson for that firm’s generous continuing contribution to the work of AFOT. Without these people we would not be able to do the great work we do. With the superlative support of an absolutely outstanding group of individuals who comprise our Board, and upon the solid foundation laid by my talented predecessor, Ambassador Mark Parris, I am delighted to be undertaking the new responsibilities of Chairman of AFOT.
Let me highlight the stakes for all of us. In 2050, all the population of Europe and of North America will comprise 10 percent of the world’s population. As Americans, our task is to positively and permanently influence a great portion of that remaining 90 percent. Our democracy, our economic well-being and our future depend upon it. There is a next group of ten or fifteen countries, all of whom have slipped their traditional moorings and are sailing toward a shore of full democracy, individual rights, and prosperity. We think of South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, Indonesia, Thailand, and Egypt, among others.
Turkey is one of the leaders among those countries, and the only one which can meet the criteria for European Union membership and play a critical role in NATO. For the U.S. in a world of a re-aroused Russia, a strongly rising China, and many centers of influence, how we work with our friends will be critical.
There is a Turkish proverb that for me symbolizes what we are all about together.
Suleymaniye’yi yapmak icin, bir Suleyman bir de Sinan gerekir. Yikmak icin bir irgat ve bir kazma yeter.
To build a Sulemaniye mosque, you have to have a Suleyman and an architect like the famous Sinan. But it takes only one man with a pick-axe to tear it down.
And so, ladies and gentlemen, together, we must protect our treasure – our liberties, our democracies, the irreplaceable ties between Turkey and the United States -- our Sulemaniye mosque – against any who would destroy them.
And it is essential that Turkey be a friend. A world without a safe, prosperous Turkey will be a world much less safe for the United States. We have an obligation – not the same as Turkey’s obligation, but our very own – to help support Turkey as she advances along the path that Ataturk chose and subsequent generations of Turks have advanced. A Turkey confident in its own rich diversity, protective of the rights of all its citizens to build its future, secure in its borders, and influential in its region will be a keystone of progress for Europe, the Middle East, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and central Asia, and throughout the world.
When I served in Turkey, I visited the city of Kayseri and spoke with university students there, and with a young woman who was a leader in the group. I asked her whether she considered herself Turkish, or Asian or European. Here is what she said, “I am Turkish by birth, Asian by culture, and European by education. I am a blend of all these influences, and I want to live in a world that respects equally all these heritages.” My friends, I have never heard a better explanation of the vision energetic Turks have of their country.
For our part, Americans will be proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with such people as this young Turkish woman. As American friends of Turkey, we have a wonderful opportunity to help make it so.
Thank you very much.